Every drunk driving case in South Carolina is different. Each case stems from unique circumstances, with a unique police interaction and a unique set of evidence. A criminal defense attorney needs to analyze all of these things, and ensure that the defendant’s rights were not violated during the investigation and that all of the evidence is legitimate and was obtained through legal channels.
While every case involves unique challenges and opportunities, there are also usually many similarities from case to case, which allow defense attorneys to gain invaluable experience to use on the next case. However, one DUI arrest that recently happened in Iowa appears to be one-of-a-kind. A man was reportedly arrested in his truck outside of a bar-while a Zebra and macaw parrot sat in the passenger seat.
The man said he considers the exotic pets to be his children, and that he frequently takes them out on nice car rides. On Sunday evening, he took them out to a local bar, where he said he has brought them before. On some occasions, according to the defendant, the barkeep lets him bring the animals inside.
However, on this evening, he was not allowed to do so because the bar was serving food. So, when he brought the animals back out to his truck, many patrons followed and wanted to take photos with the animals. At some point, police were called to the scene, and the man was arrested and accused of drunk driving.
The man later told the media that he realized he was drunk, and he was just about to ask a passenger–presumably someone other than the parrot or zebra–to get behind the wheel, when all of the sudden the police arrived.
It is unclear in the news reports whether the man was actually driving the truck at the time of the arrest. If he was not, there may be cause to question these charges.